I'm Alec Baldwin, and you're listening to Here's the Thing.

The genius who shot the dark, evocative interiors of the cone brothers of blood simple

also created the city's shape of big and the intimacy of Win Harry Met Sally.

That cinematographer, his Barry Sonnenfeld, who as if to show off, followed up Win Harry

Met Sally with genre defining images of terror and claustrophobia in misery.

Then that same cinematographer left cinematography and became one of the most successful directors

in Hollywood.

The year after misery Sonnenfeld's directorial debut the Atoms family was released to

huge box office success.

Sonnenfeld went on to direct the brilliant mob comedy Get Shorty, the men in black

trilogy, and some wonderful TV.

His triumph in two different jobs on set is rare in Hollywood, especially when you consider

how very different the roles of director and cinematographer are supposed to be.

I called myself not a cinematographer, not a DP, I called myself the friend of the director.

I would just as easily talk to a director about an actor's energy, how after lunch they're

always the first take is always too slow because everyone's eating lunch and all that.

I would think about how it was going to edit.

I was never just a cameraman and some people really like that.

Who's an example of one that did like that?

Okay Danny DeVito, the cone brothers, not Penny Marshall.

I heard you wouldn't interview say Penny said she wanted to fire you, but so who is it

that said don't fire you?

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